Malleability of cyanobacteria for attaining sustainable development goals (SDG 7)

Abstract

Due to the finite nature of fossil fuels, it is essential to discover affordable and clean renewable energy resources and thereby attain UN-Sustainable Development Goals. This book chapter discusses cyanobacteria, a third-generation renewable energy resource that does not conflict with our food supply. Cyanobacteria are a complex collection of microbes that, as members of marine and freshwater phytoplankton, contribute significantly to atmospheric carbon fixation through photosynthesis. Pyrolysis can transform the biomass of contemporary cyanobacteria into bio-oil. As membrane components, storage products, metabolites, and energy sources, microalgae comprise about 2-40% lipids and fatty acids. Cyanobacteria grow quickly, do not compete for agricultural areas and resources, and efficiently convert large volumes of carbon dioxide into biomass, allowing them to participate in both carbon fixation and the creation of organic chemicals. Eukaryotic algae and other photosynthetic organisms are more difficult to genetically alter than cyanobacterial species. As a result, the photosynthesis of cyanobacteria might be guided to produce carbohydrates, fatty acids, or alcohols as sustainable biofuels. This chapter will discuss recent advances in the creation and production of cyanofuels, which are biofuels made from cyanobacterial biomass. The importance of cyanobacteria's primary metabolic pathways is underlined, and the prospect of influencing these pathways to boost the generation of various types of energy is the focus of this chapter. © 2022 Nova Science Publishers, Inc..